October seems to be a month where a lot of weird shit happens. The Wendee Lee situation isn't that heartbreaking to me, but I just wanna point out she ruined her public image for like. One minute of reprisal. Season finale of the dub is next week. She doesn't have any lines in either episodes, because it's focusing on the Squad Zero fight, and Auschwalen.

Yoruichi is not relevant in ANY of that finale so she only reprises her for like a full minute

I feel bad for Anaris, hopefully Viz and Studiopolis reverse the decision

Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5

Flynt was actually surprised that this idea of his got off the ground. Given all the tension between Atlas and Mantle right now, the leader of team FNKI decided to try and lift the people's spirits a bit. Team FNKI was always something of an outlier among the Atlesian specialists. Sure, if the situation called for it, the four of them would don the sleek white armor that most soldiers would wear, but, outside of the most dire situations, anyone would've listed off all the other kingdoms before ever considering Atlas as their place of origin. And honestly, that's what made this work.

Flynt's plan was simple: he wanted to host a Halloween concert in Mantle. Not military sponsored per say but his argument to Ironwood was that because Team FNKI were more relatable, let's say, than the average rank and file, they could at least ease tensions a bit. Harriet, who was also in the general's office at the time going over the latest search and destroy report for a Centinel nest, wasn't convinced. And if Flynt was being honest, it always seemed like Harriet didn't like him.

"You're...you're joking, right?" Harriet scoffed, two days ago when he first proposed the idea, "We're a military, Coal. Not some record company. You wanted to do something like that, doesn't the SDC have one you could've signed up with?"

"I'm gonna ignore that last part," Flynt muttered low enough to where she didn't hear him.

"...actually, that could work," Ironwood chimed in.

"It could?" Harriet and Flynt said in unison, both equally surprised.

"Morale for Mantle is...something I've been neglecting. I'll admit that. And it's because of that neglect that things are slowly reaching a boiling point. While this won't fix everything overnight, it could be the start of something."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, sir, you'd actually divert resources to a concert?" Harriet questioned.

"Officially, no. Unofficially, I can make a call or two to get the equipment needed for something like this," the general allowed himself a small smirk.

"I don't even get why you'd want to do something like this for Mantle."

"Music is similar to a discussion," Flynt started, "One person says something that's said with a harmonica, a bass, and a drum. They're all talking, and we're just trying to find a way to talk instead of blah, blah, blah. But it's not that difficult to do if you know how to approach it. Music elicited emotions that I was unfamiliar with. The songs permeated my blood, and the beat penetrated my soul."

"...so you just want to talk to Mantle in an overblown way," Harriet rolled her eyes, "Okay, okay."

"See, you put it like that, it sounds dull. But it's not supposed to be dull. It's supposed to be energetic, inspiring-!"

"Okay, okay, I get it..."

Flynt smirked at the memory of Harriet getting shot down like that. At one point, it'd be rare for her to get shot down so badly by the general, but now he could list off more incidents in the past few months that he'd ever thought she'd get involved in. He was brought back to reality when there was a loud crash behind the stage they were setting up.

"Shit!" Neon called out. Fortunately, everything that was dropped seemed to be ok.

"Be careful with those drums!" Kobalt frowned, carrying some speakers on stage. "Those cost a lot more than people think." Ben trailed behind him as Echo Echo, multiple clones carrying various parts of the drum.

"Hey- that's why I went with Echo Echo over Ditto." one Echo Echo said.

"Yeah, we're more connected!" another duplicate added in, "We don't argue either."

"Whatever, whatever." Kobalt frowned.

"One man sound crew. Not gonna lie, I'd use that guy a lot for gigs like this," Flynt chuckled as he walked over to help. Ivori was the only one not helping with the stage set-up because he was working on the lyrics for Neon. The actual instrument parts were all set, which was a lot easier given all of their talents.

"Echo Echo's not really the guy for that. Getting the tech set up itself is more Gray Matter, but, I can see you using him," one of the clones admitted.

"I mean, you and Flynt are kinda similar," Neon said, poking one of the Echo Echo's heads, "Soundwaves and duplication? That can't be a coincidence."

"Yeah, but Flynt can make only a few clones." One of the Sonorosian clones said, as they finished setting up the drums. Ben reverted back. "What is it, only 4?"

"Yeah, it's four...but, if I push myself, it's more." Flynt said.

"Really? Huh," Ben had to admit, the mental image of Flynt copying Echo Echo's wall of sound move was interesting.

"Um, please be careful down there!" Penny called out from above as she adjusted one of the stage lights, "I am...trying my best up here but I'm...not actually sure if this is being wired correctly."

"I can give you a hand!" Ben said before he transformed again. Big Chill's cloak unfurled into wings and flew up to help Penny with the wires. He wasn't an expert on wiring, but he could give it a once over.

"Looks right, honestly," Ben admitted after looking over everything.

"I just wanna make sure Mantle gets the best performance right now. After all that's happened lately, they really need it." Penny said.

"No arguing with that. Surprised you were free, actually," Ben said.

"So was I! Rook and Ceres offered to take over my duties for the duration of the concert so I could see it! My first ever concert!"

"Wait, we're your first concert?!" Neon yelled, "Ohhhhh this is gonna be so gooooood! Kobalt, don't let Penny near the pyrotechnics! I want her to see these babies go off with everyone else!"

Ben gave her a look. "Uh, maybe…rephrase that?"

Neon blinked, "...ooooooooooooooooooooh. Yeah, uh, maybe don't go near the pyrotechnics."

"Oh, you needn't worry!" Penny grinned. "My skin is much more fire proof than before."

"Oh, great, um, listen, sorry about that. Spoke before I thought..."

"Oh it's fine! I'm still excited to see it," Penny beamed.

"We have a few other artists flying into Mantle," Ivori said, looking down at a tablet. "So far, we got Hyles Caleb, L.C. Willems and her dad, Geoff, Sharp Nate and Roselie Santer."

"Only thing missing for us is a good lead guitarist." Flynt said. "That'll really blow the house off."

"Was...I misinformed when I was told the expression was 'bring the house down?'" Penny asked.

"No, no, that's right. That's just one Flynt uses all the time," Neon smirked.

"You need a guitarist?" Ruby asked, as she wheeled in parts of the fence that would block off the main stage. "Why not ask Ben? He played for a bit in middle school."

"You can play?" Flynt asked the moth alien.

"It was more something I was forced into." Ben shrugged.

"Forced into? There's a 'Tennyson Story' behind this, isn't there?"

"It was either that or baking." Ben flew back down, his moth wings furling back up into a cloak.

"It's true. He can't really cook- one time, he put mac and cheese in a wine glass and garnished it with a dino nugget." Ruby said.

"...where'd you find dino nuggets in Atlas?" Flynt asked.

"I mean, it's been a WHILE since I've done anything with a guitar," Ben explained as he reverted back.

"Wait wait wait, you're just ignoring the dino nugget thing? I haven't had those since I was a kid and now I kinda wanna have them again!" Neon chimed in.

"I'll tell you later. But, I could...I mean I could try and get back into playing it. Might be a bit rusty, but I've got time till the show, right?"

"Yeah, man," Flynt said, as Oscar brought over an electric guitar. "Show us what you got."

Oscar handed Ben the guitar, as Ben put the strap over his shoulder. Ben strummed it and did a quick scale. The boy took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Ben began to play. Flynt immediately recognized the tune- Just a Little Faster, by There for Tomorrow. Flynt knew the song just from the eighth notes. He nodded his head, as Ben finished up the short excerpt.

"Man..." Ben said, opening his eyes. "Surprised I remembered that."

"That was good...but a bit too simple. Can you play anything else?" Flynt asked.

"Well, Ruby insisted I learned this next song." Ben said.

"Oh, God- your fingers nearly EXPLODED with this one." Ruby winced.

"All the more reason to play it." Ben grinned. Ben began again- another eighth note heavy song, but this one had more variance to it, at least to the start. Then it began to blare the same note over and over again, with a minor trill in there. Thankfully a 'chorus' like section was included to spice things up. Another song Flynt recognized- it was 'Red Like Roses.'

Ben finished up the excerpt again and shook his hand in the air. "How was that?"

"Do we have an open spot in the band?" Neon asked, a big grin forming on her face, "Cause I think we just found our guitarrrrrrist!"

"Holy shit," Kobalt said, absolutely surprised.

"That was pretty good, Ben. Why'd this never come up before?" Oscar said.

"Eh, Ben has a weird set of skills." Ruby said. "He actually sewed his signature hoodie himself."

"Grandma Verdona and I had to bond somehow." Ben joked.

"Verdona?" Oscar and Neon asked in unison.

"Long story," Ben said, "Might tell you later, buuuut it's more likely you'll find out where I found the dino nuggets first."

"I am A-OK with that!" Neon admitted.

"But yeah. Do you know the song 'Start Me Up'?" Flynt asked. "I feel that'll be a great opener for the performance."

"I can learn it. I got an eidetic memory, remember? It could take a few hours, though." Ben said.

"Plenty of time. Show starts tomorrow after all," Flynt said, "It'll be fine."

"If Ben is performing...does that mean you will be, too, Ruby?" Penny asked.

"Me? Uh...I don't really have any musical talent." Ruby said, scratching the back of her head.

"You got a good singing voice, though." Ben grinned. Ruby turned red, and covered her face with her hood. "Awww, don't get all blushy! I mean it. You have a great voice!"

"Huh. Kinda wanna hear it now," Neon said, "Always thought that Weiss was the singer, but she's more the fancy song type I guess."

"M-maybe you'll get lucky later." Ruby said, looking away.

"So, who's funding the gig?" Oscar asked. "This doesn't seem like something the Atlas military would fund."

"Well, officially, no. But the general managed to make a few calls and he got the SDC to provide funding," Flynt said.

"Oh! He asked Miss Willow about it then!" Penny beamed, "How thoughtful of her!"

"I know, right? She totally didn't have to, but look at how much we got set up now! THe sound system, the permits to set up here, all of it!" Neon beamed.

"For once, I'm actually glad the SDC got involved in something of mine," Flynt smirked, "Now then, think it's time I go see about those lyrics we need."

"Hmm, still needs a little extra 'Halloween' ambience for the month," Ben said. "Don't worry. When you get back, this place will be perfect!"

"Alright, I'll hold you to that." Flynt said, hopping off stage.

"Oh, you better believe we're gonna give this concert the spooky season flare! This is my month, not gonna let ya down!" Ruby promised.

"Alright! What's next then?" Penny asked eagerly.

"Just some decorations, a few more booths here and there," Ben listed off. "And the concession stands."

"Let's set those up first...I'm kinda hungry," Kobalt admitted.

"I'll get started on those!" Penny said before hopping off the stage and heading over to start setting the stands up.

As she worked though, she had no idea that she was being watched. Someone was keeping an eye on Penny from afar, tracking her movements through a sniper scope. As it stood, the Protector of Mantle was dead center in the crosshairs. One good shot and it would be over. But where's the fun in that? This wasn't the right time for it. For now, the sniper was just watching, learning about his target. Though part of him was very tempted to shift aim just a bit and take a shot at Ben or Ruby. The employer never mentioned them, but it wasn't a problem. If anything, this was one of the best jobs he'd taken in a while.

Once they're gone, the sniper thought to himself, I'll be sure to add my own...contribution to the event.

As the day went on, the group continued to set up for the show. Ben, Ruby, and the others were completely unaware of the danger that lurked nearby. They worked tirelessly, setting up decorations and food stands, and rehearsing their performances for the big day.

As the sun began to set, the group decided to take a break and enjoy some of the food they had set up. They laughed and chatted, enjoying each other's company as they ate. But the sniper was still watching, biding their time.

"-and that's why I wear blades instead of skates!" Neon finished.

"Wow. That was...eye opening." Ben said.

"No one ever expects it," Flynt smirked, "Every time someone asks they assume it's just a fashion thing or a preference. Instead, it's tied to her backstory. Who would think that, huh?"

"Just another reason why we're the outcasts," Neon laughed.

"Is that with a capital 'O?'" Penny asked, tilting her head.

"Eh? N-no. Why?"

"Oh, it is just that Team RWBY, Zeta Squad, and their friends have dubbed their own mega-team The Outcasts. And Ben is...somewhat sue-happy. No offense, Ben!"

"Whaaaaat? You guys have a mega team? I want in!" Neon whined. "Do you guys have matching uniforms?"

"No?" Ben answered, wondering why that was important.

"I'll make you some! It'll be AWESOME." Neon grinned.

"Trust me, do not let her near a sewing machine," Flynt shook his head.

"I'm guessing she tried that once for you guys?" Ruby asked.

"She did," Ivori agreed, "The sewing itself was fine, the problem was the color scheme. It wasn't a single color for each of us. No, she tried to put all of our colors onto one design. It was...garish, to be polite."

"Hey, better than those usual coat and collar uniforms that the general usually gives out. White and red just aren't for me," Neon shrugged.

"It was the ugliest thing I've ever worn." Flynt shuddered.

"This is why I stick to like five things I like wearing and repeat that forever." Ben said.

"Plus, I like my current outfit! Look at how intricate the rose pattern is on the inside." Ruby held up her black cape to show off said pattern.

"I was meaning to ask. Where did you get that?" Ivori asked, "Unless you made that yourself?"

"It's a secret." Ruby winked.

It might've been a secret, but one that Ben was privy to. Taiyang was a master seamstress.

"That's fair, I suppose," Ivori conceded.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Penny suddenly chimed in, "I meant to ask earlier. Flynt, do you have room in the festival for a DJ?"

"A DJ?" the musician huntsman asked, looking to his teammates, "Uh, why? You know someone?"

"Indeed I do! Myself!"

"Huh?" Ben asked.

Ruby's eyes lit up. "Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh- Penny, is this the return of-!?"

"Yes indeed!" Penny beamed.

The mechanical girl got up from the table and stepped back so as to give herself some space. She seemed to press an invisible button on the side of her head. The pack that held Floating Array opened up, but only two items emerged, two large pieces of metal instead of the usual thin blades. They unfolded and came together in front of Penny, merging and transforming into a turntable of all things. Speakers appeared in the front, flanking a simple power symbol situated in the middle of the hovering turntable, before another, smaller set of speakers emerged from behind the device. A visor quickly closed over Penny's eyes before it flashed with green pixelated light.

"The comeback concert of DJ P3N-3!" Penny announced.

"I have seen some amazing things in my life, but this…? This takes the cake." Ben blinked, "Is this what you meant back during the whole conspiracy thing?"

"Yep!" Ruby nodded.

Neon gasped. "Whaaaaaaa? Penny's a DJ?" Neon asked. "How come we didn't know?"

"Probably because Ironwood didn't want us knowing the truth about her." Flynt guessed.

"Well that is...partly true," Penny admitted, "The other part was that I had 'stage fright.'"

"You did?" Ben asked.

"Very much so! I was originally going to serve as DJ for the dance at Beacon, but I decided against it. Then, before the tournament got underway properly, I asked Ruby if she knew anyone who could give musical advice. For DJs."

"Yang said she knew a guy, took Penny to meet him and when she came back, she decided to give us a private DJ concert," Ruby explained.

"And you all loved it!" Penny beamed.

"...I wanted to go to a rave..." Ben frowned.

"Well, now you can!" Penny grinned.

"So we're gonna need more glowsticks is what I'm hearing," Neon said.

"I like how that's what you focus on," Kobalt chuckled.

Ben chuckled. "Glowsticks are pretty cool. Like mini lightsabers..."

"See! Ben totally gets it!" Neon felt completely vindicated now, "Mini-lightsabers for everyone!"

"Yeah! Toss em out to the crowd! Make it rain!" Ben grinned. "Microwave them if you wanna give it to someone you hate!"

"We're not microwaving any of them," Kobal immediately shot the idea down.

"Boooooo." Ben and Neon said.

"Seriously! That's dangerous." Kobalt frowned.

"I...would have to agree with Kobalt, myself," Penny said.

"See? Polendina seal. That's worth, like, ten votes in comparison."

"Damn, he's right," Ruby confessed, "Those are the rules for Polendina Endorsement."

"Since when has that been a thing?" Neon pouted.

"Since Beacon! Ruby and I set that up shortly after we became friends!" Penny explained.

"Honestly, I set it up so I could have Penny beat the rest of my team in any vote..." Ruby giggled.

"Yeah, I woulda done the same," Neon sighed, "Beat me to it is all."

"Heh. So, I take it everyone we know is invited?"

"Of course," Flynt said, "Have some fun and upstage a Schnee singer in one night."

"Flynt. I thought we agreed," Ivori said.

"I'm only half-joking! I'll put fifty cents in the jar; will that make you happy?"

Ruby and Ben turned to Neon, hoping she could offer an explanation.

"Oh! Back before the Vytal Festival, Flynt would love using 'better than a Schnee' as a weird little catchphrase for a while. It got to the point where we had to make the Schnee Bank. Every time he says something along those lines, dollar in the bank. He's been better after everything...buuuut he still says it."

"Rarely!" Flynt added.

"It's okay." Ben said. "When we were kids, we had to set up a swear jar because we swear tooooo much, according to some people."

"...seriously? I can't see you guys cursing." Flynt said.

"Ohhhh, no. We were potty mouths as kids." Ruby said.

Flynt then shot a knowing look towards the upbeat Faunus of his team. Neon practically froze and stared back with a look that screamed, "You tell them, I will stage a musical coup and put myself as head of the band. You will not stop me." Flynt just smirked and shook his head.

"What?" Ruby asked.

"Nevermind," Flynt chuckled.

"Anyways..." Ben sighed. "We should probably finish with this setup-" Just as Ben said that, the Omnitrix started beeping. Ben perked up, and tapped the symbol.

"Not interrupting something, am I?" Marrow said over the Omnitrix's communicator.

"Not really," Ben shrugged, "Just finishing up a break. Why, what's up?"

"Well, got some calls in. Albedo said something about plasma trails fading in the sky. The usual tech-talk that I could barely follow. Basically, he said we might have gotten a visitor. Was hoping you could-"

"Aaaaand gonna have to cut you off there, Marrow. So, the concert? Turns out, there was a last minute entry."

"Flynt's willing to share the stage?" Marrow raised a brow on the other side of the line.

"I am if the person asking to play is Penny!" Flynt called out.

"...Penny knows music?"

"I am DJ-ready, Marrow!" Penny beamed.

"...right." Marrow said.

"What, do you do music too?" Ben asked.

"I beatbox." Marrow said confidently.

Ben stared down at the watch, a slightly disappointed look on his face.

"...I can feel your disapproval from here," Marrow said.

"And I can see your tail drooping from here," Ruby said, "Beatboxing, though?"

"Yeah! S-shut up, I'm cool at it." Marrow frowned.

"Yeah, yeah. Look, we need to finish and I need to get reacquainted with the guitar." Ben said.

"Does everyone over there have some secret musical talent?" Marrow asked.

"I don't," Oscar said, "At least, I don't think so?"

"Ask the guy in your head. Maybe he does." Marrow joked.

"We're...still not on speaking terms." Oscar frowned.

"Oh..." Marrow cringed, realizing how big of a mistake he just made.

"It's fine. Still, we should get back to it. We'll catch up with you after everything's said and done."

"First thing after, promise," Ben said.

"Alright, alright. Have fun with the band, then." Marrow said.

"...and I'll see if I can sneak in beatboxing to the concert-" Ben muttered, as Neon bonked him on the head.

"Heard that!" Neon said.

About another two hours had passed and the concert grounds were perfect. The stage was fully set up, ready for Team FNKI to stride up there tomorrow and give the people a show. Booths for food and drinks were set up all over, along with a glowstick booth for when Penny's DJ session was up. Halloween decor was expertly placed all around the concert site. This wasn't going to be a costume party, but it was nice to have that spooky season feel in the air. Fake skeletons hung by the stage, while jack o'lanterns were resting on some of the booths, ready to receive the lit candles. Fake body parts and bats decorated some of the stands for that extra bit of Halloween spirit.

Some Atlesian security patrolled the grounds, just in case someone thought it'd be a fun idea to vandalize the site before the big show. They weren't the armored soldiers that everyone was so accustomed to seeing, but rather a handful wearing white coated uniforms with blue and red accents, complete with a blue pilot cap. The uniform honestly had quite a few similarities to Marrow's own.

The guards, in order to appear more non-threatening and just general security for the site, were armed with nothing more than collapsible batons, no guns of any kind. Honestly, it was perhaps the most boring and maybe even the safest assignment in the city. To some, that was a good thing. No life-threatening monsters, no crazy aliens, just simple guard duty. To others, it was the worst because there were no crazy aliens or monsters, no action or adrenaline.

None that they could see, anyway.

Under a cloaking field, the sniper that had been watching things from afar dropped down from a low roof and silently landed on the ground. They looked around before methodically avoiding the patrols with ease. The baton-wielding guards were none the wiser as the invisible figure moved around the concert site.

Without eyes on them, they went about their work uninterrupted. Whoever this figure was carefully placed down a single disc in eight hidden locations around the site. Each device was a small silver disc, letting out a quiet click! sound to show they were activated. They raised up their invisible arm and pressed a few buttons on a control panel. The discs lit up with a few quick dim flashes before objects were teleported in, each one the size of a football. The cloaked figure looked over their handiwork and nodded, smirking behind their mask.

Can't be much of a party without a twist, now can it? With their work done, the figure snuck out of the concert site, quietly scaling the side of a building. Even if one of the building's occupants looked out the window and saw some displaced pebbles fall, they would've just assumed it was a bird.

"Everything's in place," the figure smirked once they were out of earshot, "Hope you enjoy the show."

"You want us to go...to a rave?" Weiss asked, sitting on the edge of her bunk.

"Halloween party's the official name, but yeah. It'll take our minds off politics, missions, all the stuff we're dreading for a few hours. Well, the missions are great most of the time, but you get the idea," Ruby said.

"None of the glowsticks will be microwaved! I have ensured it!" Penny beamed with a salute.

Weiss blinked. "...Uh, yeah. Pass."

"W-what!?" Ruby gasped. "Why?"

"One. Raves are gross. I don't want a bunch of sweaty people rubbing against me." Weiss said. "Two. I am not the girl you wanna ask for this. Go ask Min- she's probably in Kevin's room doing...You know what with him."

"...I don't follow." Ruby blinked.

"If they're sweaty, then they just did it." Weiss shuddered.

"I am afraid I still do not follow," Penny said, "What did they just do?"

Ruby slowly realized. "...Ew."

"Oh, what. Like you and Ben haven't-" Weiss scoffed.

"Stopping you there!" Ruby interjected.

"I still have questions though," Penny asked.

"Ask your dad later."

"Pffft, well that was a conversation to overhear," Yang chimed in, leaning over the edge of the top bunk in the Team RWBY dorm and looking at her sister upside down, "I'm down for a rave though."

"See? Better suited people for these things." Weiss said, eager to close her door. "Go bother them."

"Weiss just can't handle music that shakes a car." Yang joked.

"I can handle it, I just don't like it," Weiss corrected.

"Uh-huh, sure. But before we go, I gotta talk with Blake. Think this'd be her first rave too and...well..." the blonde chuckled nervously a bit.

"What is iiiiiiit?" Ruby asked.

"Her...dance moves might need a biiiit of work."

"What? Blake Belladonna? Miss 'my butt is so graceful on the battlefield'?" Weiss scoffed. "Impossible. She can't be that bad a dancer."

"Why not ask her?" Penny asked.

"Sure. I'll send her a-" Yang started.

"Ask me what?" Blake asked.

"Salutations friend Blake!" Penny beamed, "We were wondering if you would like to attend the rave Team FNKI has set up!"

"A rave? I've never been..."

"Yeah! And I think it'd be REALLY cool if you joined me." Yang said. "Raves are awesome."

"And full of sweaty people pushing against you..." Weiss huffed.

"Stop saying that," Ruby pleaded.

"Only when it stops being true."

"Well...I guess it could be fun. But uh-" Blake started.

"We were also wondering if you would be able to demonstrate your dancing skills for us now!" Penny interjected.

"Right...right now?"

"Affirmative!"

Blake looked at Yang, and then back at Weiss, Ruby and Penny. Ruby seemed ready to see Blake's moves.

...so, quick author note here! And a bit of lore. In this world, Menagerie is close to Hawaii, and some of the culture rubbed off there. So, the Faunus citizens of Menagerie had a lot of 'intersection', especially with dance. Blake would often participate in these displays as a child, and-

GOD IT DID NOT RUB OFF.

Yang was trying not to laugh as her girlfriend tried showing off some traditional Menagerie dance moves.

You can do this, Yang! the blonde thought to herself, Stay strong! She will one-hundred percent throw bedsheets on you if you laugh!

Ruby, Penny and Weiss watched with stunned silence.

Blake could not dance for the life of her.

"How was that?" Blake asked once she stopped.

"...creative!" Penny said. "All those moves you made were certainly unique and will make you stand out!"

"You really think?" Blake asked.

"Blake, I legitimately thought you could dance given how you move in a fight. How did you prove me...so wrong?" Weiss said, rather bluntly.

"I-it wasn't that bad! W-was it? Ruby, Yang, please back me up here!"

Ruby just stared at her in stunned disbelief. "...Blake. I say this as your future sister in law."

"W-wha!?"

"That sucked."

Yang was still doing her best not to laugh, though at this point, Blake could hear it. One of her cat ears twitched a bit and she walked over to Yang's bed. The ninja pulled the bedsheets off and then just threw them on top of her girlfriend.

"Ok, you can laugh now," Blake huffed. And Yang did, letting out the laughter she was holding in for the past few minutes.

"Ok...ok, ok, ok," Yang said, regaining her composure and peeking her head out from under the sheets, "That might not have been the best-"

"Being very generous there," Ruby said.

"Shush. Might not have been the best, but I'm willing to teach you some moves beforehand so you don't go out there and embarrass yourself," Yang reassured.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Yang, no offense, but you can't dance either."

All eyes went on Yang.

"...Ruby, don't do me like this."

"Ok...now I don't believe you," Blake said.

"Well, easy way to prove it," Ruby said, motioning for Yang to give them all a demonstration.

Yang inherited Raven's inability to dance. Not in a good way. Raven's dance style was...chaotic. Like a big, messy ball of foot and arm movements. Like a fucked up riverdance.

"How," Weiss deadpanned, "How?"

Now it was Blake's turn to laugh.

"How, how do you not know how to dance?" the feline Faunus said between laughs.

"Ruby. I will have my revenge," Yang promised.

"You can tryyyyyy," Ruby smirked mischievously.

"What about you, Ruby? Can you dance?" Penny asked.

"I took cotillion with Gwen." Ruby said. Penny blinked.

"It's...it's a really, really stupid complicated dance. Gwen said it would help my footwork, but it really did nothing." Ruby said.

"Did you make any progress with the style itself?" Weiss asked, a bit surprised herself.

"I guess? I dunno. I hated those classes." Ruby said. "I dunno why I attended it for a year."

"I will show off my moves if you show off yours," Penny offered, "And I shall provide tactical back-up to have Ben show off his 'moves' to the others."

"What's up? What's with my moves?" Ben asked, walking over.

"Well, we know Ben's great at dancing due to Halloween..." Weiss said.

"Oh, he improved?" Penny asked, tilting her head, "Incredible!"

"W-what do you mean 'I improved'?!" Ben yelled. "I'm a soccer player! A libero! I have to be good on my feet!"

"I have learned that sports skill does not translate to dancing skill. For instance, Specialist Ederne is quite the accomplished volleyball player! As a dancer...she is better than Marrow but not as good as Weiss or Specialist Zeki."

"Vine?" they all asked.

"Yes! He does not do it often!" Penny confirmed.

"...why do I feel like I hear more about Vine more than I interact with him?" Ben asked.

"Eh. He's pretty hard to find." Ruby shrugged.

"He just prefers the solitude. He's not anti-social, but it lets him focus more on his beliefs," Penny added in.

"Fair enough. But...he is an unexpected wild card." Ben said.

"He always was. Ooh! Maybe I can convince him to attend! As 'added security,'" Penny added the air quotes herself.

"I think he'd hate it there more than I would." Weiss scoffed.

"It wouldn't hurt to ask would it?" Penny asked.

"I...suppose not, but I still have my doubts."

"Then I shall go now! I will see you all there!" Penny beamed before she raced off.

"It's so nice to have her back, y'know?" Yang said. "I missed that adorable smile of hers."

"I wish Ceres at least let us know beforehand." Ben said. "But, then again...NDAs, or whatever."

"Those are for contract workers." Blake said.

"Meh, semantics," Ben said.

"The concert's tomorrow right?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Yang, Blake! As team leader, I order you...to get some dance lessons from me and Ben!"

"Wait what," Ben blinked, "How bad are-?"

"Wonky hula moves and what I can only describe as 'if Mad Max had a dance number,'" Ruby explained. Ben tried to cover his mouth and stop a muffled laugh from escaping. He could feel the bumblebee duo staring daggers at him.

"Ok...ok I'm good. Not laughing," Ben sighed, "Not laughing at all."

Yang looked at Ben suspiciously, but decided to let it go for now. "So, are you in or what?" she asked, turning to Blake.

Blake hesitated for a moment before nodding her head. "Sure, I guess I could use some pointers," she said with a small smile.

"Then what are we waiting for! Come on!" Ruby said, taking their hands.

Penny was still racing down the halls to try and find Vine. One would think his quarters in the Atlesian base would be the first place to look, but that wasn't the case, especially at this time of day. While he did appreciate solitude, he also appreciated different views. One time, Penny found him meditating at the edge of one of the hangar doors just so he could see that Atlesian horizon. Of course, he never went to the same spot two days in a row. The android girl searched all around the base, or it felt like that, before she stopped to wonder. Where could he have gone? She rubbed her chin in thought and tried to narrow down a search in her memory.

"Try the walls overlooking the farmlands," a voice said.

"Oh! That sounds like a great id-" Penny turned to thank the voice that had said that, only to see no one, "-ea?" The only other people around were guards on patrol or other staff going about their day, no one stopped to answer her.

Penny looked around, confused. Where'd that voice come from? It didn't sound like her father, or Ironwood, or Winter- this was a girl's voice. And it sounded...very, very polite.

Honestly, it kind of reminded her of...well herself, as weird that sounded. Strange. She'd have to ask her father if it was possible for her to be "hearing things."

"The walls overlooking the farmlands..." Penny repeated. The idea was still sound, so she decided to follow up on it. She raced to the nearest hangar and, with her new thrusts, took off towards the walls.

When Atlas was raised from the ground thanks to the Relic's power, some of the more traditional farmland went with it. Now, farming at high altitudes is nothing special, if a little more specialized, giving only certain crops the chance to really grow. That wasn't the case with Atlas. Thanks to a few special Atlesian engineers, with their Auras unlocked, they were able to enhance the soil that made up Atlas' east and west fields with plant Dust, making it much more hospitable for crops that would normally perish quickly at higher altitudes.

And honestly? Looking out over those fields was a breathtaking experience. No noise pollution from the busy city, no light pollution to drown out the stars at night, just seeing the tended fields and the frozen tundras and mountains beyond the city's borders. It was the perfect place for Vine to meditate between missions. He was sitting cross-legged atop one of the larger pillars that surrounded the city.

"Hello, Penny." Vine said, as she approached him. He didn't even turn around.

"Salutations, Vine. I was just curious if you were free tomorrow night." Penny said. "We need someone down at the Music Festival."

"As security?"

"Yes! Well, a little 'extra' but in truth I was wondering if you would just attend to...well attend," Penny offered.

"Use security as a means to relax? You sound like Rex with that logic. Or Ben. Or...anyone from that circle really," Vine said with a slight smirk.

"That's...not really a bad thing, is it?"

"Not at all. But judging by your tone of voice, I sense there's a bit more to this," Vine guessed.

"You're...not wrong. Ben said that he hears more about you than he actually meets you. So I thought-" Penny began.

"You thought to kill two birds with one stone," the collected Ace-Op said.

"Exactly!"

"...I will consider." Vine said. "I suppose one night of some interaction won't do me any wrong."

"Yeah! Please just get back to me at your earliest convenience." Penny nodded.

"Of course," Vine answered.

"And...maybe you can tell...Clover as well? I do not remember the last time Clover and the others spoke to each other in a casual manner."

"...I will try. Clover is a very, very busy man." Vine said.

"I understand," Penny nodded, "Thank you, either way."

Vine nodded again before going back to his meditations. With that, Penny flew back to the main headquarters. Hopefully this would work. See, not only was asking Vine the right thing to do from Penny's perspective, but it would also boost morale in Mantle. A common opinion among many Mantle citizens was that the Ace-Ops were more machine than she was. She'd gotten thanks from people with all kinds of opinions on Ironwood, but when it came to the Ace-Ops...well, it was often either from those who still believed in Ironwood or it was a begrudging thanks. People saw them as just agents of Ironwood, bound to his orders.

But if they saw one of the Ace-Ops taking some time to relax? Enjoy a party of all things? That might ease the tension a bit.

I want to make a world where we're all united! A world of smiles! Penny thought.

A beautiful world.

A beautiful world indeed. To Penny, that was just another one of her thoughts, but in reality, it was the same voice from earlier, the one who suggested finding Vine out here. The Protector of Mantle was too focused on the possible success of her plan to pick up on the different mental tone.